Press Releases

The City of Aspen is proud to announce Aspen’s newest economic stimulus plan/social movement/plain old fun idea we can all be involved in: Adopt A Tourist.

“Adopt A Tourist is a simple concept based on that old idea of goodwill and pride in your town,” said Aspen local Paul MacFarlane, who submitted the program as part of the City’s “Mining Aspen for Ideas” campaign in late 2009. Adopt A Tourist, which costs next to nothing to set up, next to nothing to join and next to nothing to promote, is being run by the City of Aspen as a way to bring all aspects of the Aspen community together.

So, what is Adopt A Tourist? It’s formalizing what Aspenites do every day by welcoming visitors to town. Travelers will be able to sign up to “be adopted” while in Aspen by locals. They get an insider-locals-type experience of Aspen, guided by volunteer locals. They go home with more than a photograph; they go home with a friend (and maybe their email and a phone number and lots of great memories.) And what do you do when you have a friend in a tourist town? You come back to visit.

In addition, locals and tourists will be eligible for discounts and other special deals through the Adopt A Tourist program. The list of participating vendors is growing, and deals will be posted on the program’s Facebook page.

Participants are required to fill out a short questionnaire based on their personal preferences and sign a release of liability. The rest is simple. The City of Aspen will pair adopters with adoptees (based on compatibility).

For more information on the program, or to sign up, visit www.aspenpitkin.com and click on the Adopt A Tourist button. You can also find Aspen Adopt A Tourist on Facebook.